When a team puts up 11 runs in two innings of a softball game, the opposition has a mountain to climb to try to come back and win.

Thus was the case in Pen Argyl’s 13-2 five-inning mercy rule win Tuesday against Jim Thorpe.

The Green Knights scored five times in the third inning, and six more in the fifth to win their second game of the young season.

In the third, 12 Knights came to bat. Angela Beltran started the rally with a double to deep center field. Abigail Scherer followed with an infield hit and stole second. Regan Nittle singled up the middle to drive in two runs and took second on the throw.

After an Olympian error plated another run, Ashlyn Oessenick reached on an infield hit to load the bases with no outs. Ella Garcias walked to force in a run and Ella Bonatz singled to center to drive in the fifth run.

The big rally — added to a run scored in each of the first two innings — gave Pen Argyl a 7-0 lead.

Jim Thorpe brought its power bats to the plate in the bottom of the third.

After Jocelyn Montefour opened with a single to left, Kelsie Huff cracked a triple into the right-center field gap scoring Montefour. Hannah Zacharias drove in Huff with a double that sailed over the right fielder’s head to make the score 7-2.

Olympian pitcher Madison Schwartz threw a scoreless fourth before the Knights batted around and pushed six more runs across the plate in the visitor’s half of the fifth.

The big blow was a three-run homer over the left field fence by Bonatz, giving her four RBIs in the game.

Pen Argyl’s Aubrey Dehart worked around an infield hit by Montefour and a double by Schwartz to pitch a scoreless fifth and seal the victory for the Knights.

After the game, JT assistant coach Jim Clifford told his team to build on the positive from the loss.

“We only struck out once, and when you put the ball in play usually good things will happen,” he said. “We hit the ball hard, but just couldn’t find the holes in their defense.”

He emphasized the need for the Olympians to improve their defense to stop teams from having multiple run innings.

“We had three fly balls that should have been caught. We need to clean that up so the score doesn’t get away from us.”

Bonatz and Scherer each collected three hits for Pen Argyl. Montefour was 2-for-2 for Jim Thorpe.

WEB GEM ... Thorpe’s Hannah Zacharias flashed her leather in the fourth inning with a diving shoestring catch.

UP NEXT ... The Olympians are back on their home field again today to host the Shenandoah Blue Devils. Game time is 4 p.m.

Pen Argyl 115 06 - 13 12 0

Jim Thorpe 002 00 - 2 5 4

Dehart and Scherer; Schwartz and Confer. W - Dehart. L - Schwartz. HR: Pen Argyl - Bonatz (5th, two on).

Records: Pen Argyl (2-1; 1-1); Jim Thorpe (1-2; 1-2).